Trojans Drop Physical Battle with Mavericks

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Kyra Collier scored 11 points and Nicole Hemphill grabbed a career-best nine rebounds but a physical contest fell UT Arlington's way in a 62-46 decision at the Jack Stephens Center Saturday afternoon.
 
Hemphill, the freshman forward, nearly had a double-double after scoring 10 points while also drawing six fouls, including two charges drawn.
 
But the Trojans (10-14, 8-5 Sun Belt) ended the game being out-rebounded 43-29 and Saturday's contest marked the second straight game Little Rock shot under 30 percent from the field.
 
UT Arlington (15-10, 9-4) shot 43.4 percent from the field as the Mavs went 23-for-53 in the game.
 
Tori Lasker scored nine points in the game but it was her back-to-back shots in the second quarter that cut the deficit to three before the Mavericks ended the half on a 5-0 run.
 
The physicality of the game, a contest in which 47 fouls were called, reached its peak in the third quarter when UTA's Katie Ferrell was issued two technical fouls and was dismissed from the game, one of which was a double technical along with Teal Battle.
 
That sparked a short run where the Trojans cut UTA's lead to four but a UTA timeout cooled the re-energized Trojans and allowed the Mavs to regroup. UTA went on a 10-0 run after that timeout and pulled away, putting the game out of reach.
 
Little Rock couldn't ignite its offense throughout the rest of the game, shooting just 5-for-23 in the second half (21.7 percent) while UTA would shoot 42.3 percent (11-for-26) over the final 20 minutes.
 
The Trojans now hit the road for a three-game road swing that starts on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Troy.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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